It’s almost October, but there’s still a stack of restaurant and bar openings to come in 2024, from glitzy, elevated diners at The Star, to a homely neighbourhood eatery in West End. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to.

Central

A Hong Kong-themed dumpling restaurant from the team behind Southside and Rick Shores should be enough to get your attention – the fact it’s hidden underground in the middle of the CBD and has been designed by Jared Webb (Gerard’s Bistro) only helps seal the deal.

On the menu will be dim sum, wok and barbecued dishes.

For drinks, there will be a wine list that leans into interesting drops by the glass and half bottle (via Coravin), and a cocktail list that twists the classics.

Central will open in October and seat 80 diners.

Azteca

From Potentia Solutions Leisure (Soko, Lina) comes Azteca, which will open mid-to-late October and fuse Latin American and Asian cuisine.

The 126-seat restaurant will sit on Queen’s Wharf’s fourth-floor Terrace and feature fabric and tiled walls, mosaic and Aztec-inspired artwork, live greenery, custom-made brass tables, and semi-private circular dining booths.

Drinks will centre around a cocktail list that matches Latin American spirits to Asian spices and flavours.

Stan’s

Stan’s will permanently take over the upper floor of hit Cantonese restaurant Stanley at Howard Smith Wharves.

Expect a glamorous, dark and moody lounge bar decked out in rich jewel tones, timber accents, antique mirrored wall panels and dark emerald velvet curtains. For cocktails, there will be modern interpretations of the classics, including a signature martini menu, powered by a backbar stocked with rare and vintage spirits.

Co-owner and chef Louis Tikaram has written a menu of Cantonese-inspired snacks and the venue will feature a vintage JBL sound system, with DJs spinning most nights of the week. It’s set to open next week.

Dark Shepherd

Tassis Group (already on a march this year, having opened Longwang and Fat Cow) will in late October unveil Dark Shepherd – a lamb-focused, Mediterranean restaurant on The Terrace at Queen’s Wharf.

Seafood will also be an integral part of the menu, with most of the dishes prepared over wood fire.

Go-to Tassis designer Clui has drawn up a restaurant that will feature a sunken dining area, a private dining room and live oyster shucking station. Accompanying the food will be a 150-bottle wine list focussing on Mediterranean drops.

Pompette

Also from Tassis Group at Queen’s Wharf will be Pompette, a French champagne bar and restaurant.

It will feature Parisian-inspired interiors with a champagne and oyster bar, plus a leafy al fresco area and three private dining rooms.

Pompette will serve modern interpretations of traditional French dishes such as escargot and steak au poivre. The French-focused wine list will run close to 300 bottles, and include between 40 and 50 bottles of champagne.

August

Former Bar Francine chef Brad Cooper is teaming up with his partner Matilda Riek to create August, an intimate Euro-focused diner set inside a heritage church on Dornoch Terrace in West End.

Once complete, expect a 60-seat restaurant with a small bar in the corner for walk-in counter dining. There will also be works by local artists on the walls.

For food, Cooper says he doesn’t want to be locked into any particular cuisine but to expect a mostly European-driven menu with plenty of meat and seafood proteins, plus offal.

Drinks will involve a short wine list – between 30 and 50 bottles that mix local and international drops – and a clutch of classic, simple cocktails and mixed drinks.

Luc Lac

Opening in by the end of the year at Queen’s Wharf is Luc Lac, a 159-seat, an Indochine-inspired restaurant and bar from Ghanem Group (Donna Chang, Blackbird et al).

A menu inspired by Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore will be served in a subtropical themed dining room that features booth seating for up to 58 guests, with another 46 guests accommodated outside.

There will also be counter dining at the bar for 55 diners. For drinks, there will be classic cocktails twisted with Asian ingredients and a globe-trotting wine list.

Mademoiselle

Harry Ohayon and Maxime Bournazel, best known for Rise Bakery at Portside Wharf, are opening another venue in the precinct, Mademoiselle, which will be unveiled towards the end of the year.

The fit-out will involve bold colours, plenty of marble and stone, and booth seating. There will also be 100 square metres of al fresco space for outside dining.

As you might expect, Mademoiselle will serve French cuisine with a particular focus on rotisserie meats and gourmet salads. Wines will favour French drops with plenty of champagne.

Cucina Regina

Set to be one of the jewels in The Star’s Terrace dining precinct is Cucina Regina, a sister venue to Cucina Vivo on the Gold Coast and Cucina Porto in Sydney.

Food will be elevated Italian comfort food such as antipasto, woodfired pizzas and homemade pasta, with drinks focusing on Italian wines and cocktails.

The venue’s Tom Mark Henry design will feature bold textiles, pops of colour and local art on the walls. The 160-seater is due to open in November.